Computer Awareness and Information Technology
Computer Awareness and Information Technology tests hardware, software, operating systems, office applications, internet basics and cyber safety.
Core rules
- Hardware includes input, output, processing and storage devices. RAM is volatile primary memory; ROM is non-volatile. Secondary storage includes hard disks, SSDs and pen drives.
- Software is system software (operating system, utilities) or application software (Word, Excel, browsers). The OS manages memory, files, devices and processes.
- MS Word: Ctrl+S save, Ctrl+C copy, Ctrl+V paste, Ctrl+Z undo. Excel formulas begin with =; =SUM(A1:A5) adds a range. PowerPoint creates slide presentations.
- Internet: IP address identifies a device; HTTP/HTTPS transfer web pages; HTTPS adds encryption. Email needs a unique address and uses protocols such as SMTP for sending.
- Cyber safety: strong passwords, two-factor authentication, not sharing OTPs, checking URLs, and updating software.
Worked example
Convert binary 1011 to decimal. Write place values 8, 4, 2, 1. The bits are 1, 0, 1, 1, so 8 + 0 + 2 + 1 = 11. The reasoning is positional: each place doubles from right to left, and only 1s are added.
Traps
RAM is not permanent storage; saving work closes the volatility problem. Ctrl+Z is undo, not redo. HTTP is not automatically secure; HTTPS is. In Excel, text and numbers are treated differently, and a formula without = is treated as text.